Children's Mental Health Week, launched by Place2Be and running from 3 February to 9 February, exists to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK.

Each year the week has a theme, with this year’s being 'Know yourself, Grow yourself'; encouraging young people to build self-awareness.

Active Minds

In support of children's mental health week, and following the theme of building self-awareness, we would like to highlight the importance of psychological safety and how we create psychologically safe environments within our Active Minds sessions.

Targeted at primary school pupils, Active Minds follows a play-based approach to improve emotional literacy and includes six sessions linked to mental health and building emotional resilience.

The Active Minds programme is supported by the Premier League and Professional Footballers Association (PFA). Administered through the Premier League Charitable Fund, the funding helps football clubs to tackle inequality and respond to local challenges, supporting people and their communities to be more inclusive.

Psychological Safety

Active Minds is available to whole classes and targeted intervention groups, and we currently have a focus on working with Year 3 and Year 4 pupils.

Within our sessions, we strive to achieve psychological safety, empowering participants to share their opinions and feelings without fear of negative consequences. We achieve this through the promotion of a non-judgemental, supportive, welcoming and compassionate environment that encourages individuals to be themselves.

Psychologically safe environments lead to happier children who feel valued. They also support increased confidence and self-esteem.

Programme Impact

Our most recent Active Minds data showcase the positive impact of the programme, with 114 participants benefitting from the course between September 2024 and December 2024 across whole classes and targeted intervention groups.

95% of participants reported improved mental wellbeing following completion of the course, 88% noted improvements in skills and knowledge, and 84% felt Active Minds had supported them to boost their confidence and self-esteem.

"Jamie was incredibly approachable and quickly became a trusted adult in the classroom. The way he modelled positive behaviours and built strong rapport with the kids really made a difference – they felt safe and supported, which was so important for their learning,” explained one teacher.

"The use of relatable videos, like Inside Out, was a brilliant touch. It really helped the children grasp the concepts and made everything feel more accessible.

"The interactive activities really helped tie everything together and ensured the lessons stuck. The kids had loads of fun and, more importantly, were able to apply what they learned in real, meaningful ways."

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Active Minds programme and booking delivery for your school, please contact health@brentfordfccst.com.

You can read more about Active Minds and its impact here.